Week in gaming: Age of Empires Online, Battlefield 3, PS3 price drop

This week Age of Empires Online launched, the PlayStation 3 had its price cut …

What a week! Gaming was a little short on stories this week, as I was caught between an illness that knocked me out of the office for a day and finishing work on a longer feature about game development. Don't worry, we'll have some great stuff for you next week, and I think you'll be happy with the results of the focus on some in-depth content.

For this week, check out our thoughts on the PC version of Deus Ex, Age of Empires Online, and El Shaddai. The price of the PS3 has also been lowered... so that's pretty cool. Microsoft, c'mon and join the party!

Modern Warfare 3 to feature free, dedicated servers on PC: The Call of Duty series has been challenging for PC gamers who enjoy running their own servers, but it has now been announced that Modern Warfare 3 will allow gamers to run their own dedicated servers without the need to rent from third parties.

Pre-order Battlefield 3 on Origin, get a free game (Updated): EA is doing everything it can to get you use its Origin service, and the latest offer is enticing: if you pre-order Battlefield 3, you receive a free copy of Mass Effect 2, Dead Space 2, or Medal of Honor. Update: some people are being offered this deal, some aren't, some are given it when they call and complain, and EA hasn't responded to our questions about the promotion. Proceed at your own risk.